It’s a Saturday Night Rock Show with Interpol and a Stacked Bill at MSG
There’s an undeniable magnetism that’s part and parcel with the fast-building storm cloud that is Interpol. Firmly placed in the gilded pantheon of New York City bands—a coronation that came immediately upon their ground-shaking arrival nearly two decades ago—Interpol’s post-punk bully-pulpit music has become synonymous with a wide-shouldered march up the block. Careful you don’t get steam-rolled. A good way to frame the trio’s presence is to think about them as rock’s answer to N.W.A., or even better, M.O.P. When their music hits, your upper torso swells like it does when absorbing the brunt of golden-era hip-hop. Picture the ending of The Usual Suspects when Verbal Kint’s limping shuffle swiftly turns into Keyser Söze’s confident gait. That’s what it feels like to get caught up in the forward progress of Interpol’s shadowy advance. It’s ironic then that the refrain of “Complications,” the lip-snarling standout on their latest album, last summer’s Marauder (stream it here), is “Sidling up the street.” There’s no bit of timidity to their moves.
Let’s face it, when you have Kristen Stewart starring in the video for your sixth album’s lead single—“If You Really Love Nothing”—you’ve still got it. We’re now far down the line from the dawn of Interpol’s first album, Turn On the Bright Lights (stream it here), a tidal wave that still sends currents through the descendant acts that aim to be both sinister and sexy. And yet Marauder hits like a mule kick as if no time has passed. The days turned long nights when youthful excess fueled the direction of the band’s inaugural work may be behind them, but the foundation has since solidified into bedrock.
The mysterious croon of lead man Paul Banks, the tangled siren calls from Daniel Kessler’s Gibson and Epiphone guitars, the assured pugnacity of Sam Fogarino’s drums, they all still coalesce to fill you with swagger like a double shot of tequila. The dark oblivion atmospherics that loomed in Interpol’s earlier records have given way to more immediacy on Marauder. Tracks are alert and feisty, and a good portion of the credit goes to veteran producer Dave Fridmann, who champions recordings that feel like spirited live performances. And still, the spacious background depth that animates the band’s mystique is still felt, particularly on the album’s interludes, and in the subtle synth accents that add dimension to “Flight of Fancy” and “Nysmaw.”
There will surely be magic in the night air when hometown heroes Interpol take over Madison Square Garden this Saturday. Here’s a band that started out playing seedy settings during the mythologized new-millennium era of edgy NYC rock groups, and now will enter one of the most electric arenas in the world as majesty. It’ll be like a heavyweight fight in the ’80s and Interpol’s jab hasn’t lost any snap. There just aren’t a lot of nights like this in rock anymore. The undercards for this bout make the evening feel all the more substantial. Interpol’s Matador Records labelmates Snail Mail and Car Seat Headrest will set things off before the main event, which makes an early arrival imperative.
After Lindsey Jordan beguiles with the sun-kissed afternoon indie pop from her widely praised Snail Mail debut, Lush (stream it here)—adding a nice counterweight to an evening of bluster—Will Toledo and his wild bunch of prodigal players will set the tone. Car Seat Headrest have taken the indie-rock world by storm since dropping 2016’s Teens of Denial (stream it here), a zestful reinterpretation of ’90s alt-rock flair and jam-band classic-rock inventiveness, and witnessing how they will approach MSG’s big stage is worth the price of admission alone. Make no mistake, Saturday’s triple bill has the makings of a truly classic event, with heat waves from all corners of modern prestige rock. Let’s get ready to rumble. —Charles Steinberg | @Challyolly
